Is your faith and religion a choice? did you choose to believe what you believe in?

Question

If not....where is free will?

Answer 1

Of course the following a religious belief system is a choice. Religious folk aren't born religious, they're created.

Answer 2

Hello.

I admired your question.

My faith and religion ( i.e. way of life or culture) did not come about from a decision or a conclusion as it came from personal and spiritual exploration. I found faith rather then decided to take it up. It was not given to me, just as grace can only be given by God Most High and neither did I earnt it because I have found it. I took a walk outside and eventually with time I found my faith.

Free will is important, in as much as it is a human right. You have the free will (right) to decide not to have faith in anything, either God Most High or an idol or you can have no faith at all. But on the otherhand, you may find faith just like I did at no set time, when I found faith I converted straight away. Free will is also a gift, that way you are not a slave to anyone else. You are both your companions servant and master because you attend to your companion and you advise your companion.

You are yourself and you were born free and with a free will. It is part of a master plan, that you life is plotted on it with all other peoples life. We can be right in the pursuit of free will to decide to perform good deeds and live morally. Free will therefore, cen be used wholly when mentioning of living, either morally or immoraly. Then, in that case, faith is not reached by free will but my the spirits convictions for faith.

Hoped this helped you.

Hosanna in the Highest.

Seeker of God Most High
A Nazorean Gnostic.

Answer 3

No, what a person believes is not a choice. How a person expresses that belief is.

Illustration: Say I found that I found that, because of the reading and exposure to Christianity, I found that I now believed in Christianity. I would then need to find expression of that belief. Would I join the CoE or Catholic or Fundamentalist? Which would be most appropriate? and then would I be active or passive and so on.

Freewill is the ability to choose. That comes from knowledge not knowing (ignorance) is to determined by external forces.

Answer 4

Please note that "Faith" and "Religion" are two different things. Religion means "Man reaching to God" and Faith means "Believing in something with no proof whatsoever". Religion has been a subject of debates and wars for as long as man existed. We have always been inclined to the fact that something much greater than us exists out there. It is your decision to put your faith in that.

Imagine a chair. You don't look at a chair, take measurements, do stress tests before you sit on it. You see a chair and just go ahead and sit on it - that is faith. You believe, without a doubt, that the chair was built for the purpose of supporting your weight as you sit.

In my case, they say I was born Catholic. I believe that everyone is born without any kind of religion since you wouldn't have understood it anyway. If you were brought up in a Christian home, you'd act and think like one; and so would you if you born in a Muslim home. When you get to the age in which you have the right to choose for yourself, then you can... you can exercise that right.

I chose my faith... I am a Christian. :)

Answer 5

Originally I was raised Baptist which wasn't my choice. In my teen years I was Agnostic because I hadn't found the answers that seemed correct to me. Now I follow Wicca. I don't know if I would say I chose to believe this or if it is what I have believed all along and just found my path.

I think there are two problems which many people encounter, one is that very often our parents only show us their religious views so that we will follow what they follow, and secondly, many of us are not exposed to a variety of religious paths so when we do have the option to choose our path many of them are not known so our choices are limited by that.

Blessed Be )O(

Answer 6

When I was growing up I did not choose. I was young and didnt understand the freedom of religion or choice. Nor the power a deity could have on you if you opened up your mind, heart and soul to them.

So I converted about 4 years ago when I realized I found the religion my spirit was looking for instead of being brainwashed.

So, I choose. :)

Answer 7

It may not be a choice. Some scientists feel that there may be a genetic link to be predisposed to certain religious beliefs. Personally, I feel that many people have personal religious experiences that I have not experienced. I have tried experiencing such things but I am unable. I also have clinical depression so maybe there is a correlation, but I'm not sure. I think a lot of people just choose the religion of their upbringing. I was brought up Christian but I found Buddhism more to my liking.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, my religion Islam is not by choice but by birth. And I say unfortunately becuase in Allah's eyes, a non-Muslim coming to Islam is more valuable than a person having Islam as his ancestors' religion. And it's most fair, as Muslims like us have never studied Islam so sincerely as a non-Muslim interested in Islam does.

I strongly believe in Islam. Had I been born in another religious setup, it might've been very dificult for a stubborn person like me to convert to Islam, coz I always seek the easy way out. And Islam is not an easy path, we're destined to cross this difficult path so that we may live in Paradise for eternity.

Answer 9

Tom has the best answer so far. He said, "I don't think your beliefs are a choice as such." That's the truth for honest people, who don't believe as they like, but as they can.

The right way to assess the world, or reality, is to use your physical senses and your reason first, and appeal to your moral sense only for what to do AFTER you've become familiar with the facts. But many people get the process reversed, first asking themselves what they would prefer by way of facts, appealing to their moral sense for what Ought To Be, and then converting their wishes into beliefs.

That's the "moralistic fallacy": consulting one's moral sense first and then twisting one's reason and selectively acknowledging perceptions, in order to accomodate one's preferences in belief. Religious people aren't the only ones who do this. The liberal doctrine of racial equality is another example of what happens when people succumb to the moralistic fallacy.

Answer 10

I don't think your beliefs are a choice as such. For instance, even if I wanted to, I couldn't believe that a pink elephant is flying around the world very fast, and that is the cause of tornados and hurricanes. Likewise, I couldn't decide to believe in a god even if I wanted to, as I consider the evidence.

However, you can choose whether to listen to evidence for the subject in hand and be open minded about it, or to reject it simply because it's different to what you currently believe.